Eleanor Pritchard interview

One of our local designer-makers, the very talented weaver Eleanor Pritchard is interviewed in the Guardian weekend today as part of their 'disappearing acts' about indigenous crafts.

You can read the story here. There's unfortunately no mention of Cockpit Arts, but being a (very) amateur weaver myself and a great admirer of Eleanor's work, I recognised her studio and her work from the photograph.

If you haven't had chance to visit Cockpit Arts in Creekside, the next open studios is in a few weeks time. It comes highly recommended.

Royal Albert revisited

Myself and the geezer patronise the Royal Albert in New Cross fairly regularly (at least once a fortnight for dinner) - I've written about it before, way back in 2007, but felt it was time for a new review three years on!

A recent interview with the new manager on Brockley Central blog promised improvements to the areas I felt were lacking, especially guest beers. A new chef and new menu with more seasonal food was also on the cards. So what, if anything, has changed?

First, beers. Well Richard promised that the 'troublesome fourth pump' would be repaired and brought into service to allow more frequent rotation of guest beers. I recall that it was, temporarily, although the last few visits it seems to have gone back into retirement. It's great that they offer Brakspear's bitter at £2.50 a pint - it's a reliable and inoffensive beer that keeps the price of a round to a respectable level. There is almost always Landlord on offer, and almost always a Purity beer (Gold last time I visited). But I'm saddened to say that the guest beers have been fairly evasive. For a brief, glorious period they were offering Doom Bar on tap but now, after several visits with no guest beer in sight, I'm starting to wonder if I hallucinated it!

Perhaps there have been recurring problems with the hand pumps, or perhaps I have just been unlucky in turning up as the guest beers were drained, but I would love to see a better balance between guest and regular ales. Why not two regular and two guest? Or even one regular and three guest?

I am lucky enough to work close by the fabulous new Cask pub in Pimlico. Until fairly recently this was a fading and failing bar that was lucky to attract a handful of punters even at lunchtime. On Tuesday night it was rammed with customers, many of them sampling one of the TEN or so real ales that were available on tap. Although it offers food, only a few people were there to eat. 'Build it and they will come,' I thought to myself - even on a Tuesday night!

But I digress. If you are a lager or wine drinker, by the way, you will also find a reasonable choice of drinks.

As to food, the menu has definitely seen an improvement - it changes quite regularly and does include several vegetarian and seafood options. I chose the 'couscous and roasted squash salad with grilled halloumi' while the geezer had the seafood tagliatelle.

The salad was tasty, fresh and good value for money - but nothing like I was expecting. Call me old fashioned but when a dish contains multiple ingredients, I expect the description to start with the ingredient that makes up the biggest proportion of the dish, and continue downwards - a bit like food labelling.

So I was expecting a lot of roasted squash and couscous, a few slabs of halloumi, and a bit of green stuff. They got the halloumi proportion about right, but I certainly wasn't expecting masses of rocket, green beans and other green stuff with a scattering of couscous.

As I said, it WAS tasty, I just felt a bit cheated and might have chosen something else if I'd known - although there's the possibility that I would have been equally as disappointed.

Luckily I didn't choose the seafood tagliatelle - the geezer is remarkably tolerant, some might even say too tolerant, and very averse to complaining. If I'd been served this I would have taken it back.

I'm sorry guys but this is downright lazy. Ocean Stix or whatever they are called does NOT qualify as seafood unless you are running a fast food store. No amount of piling rocket on the top can hide the fact that this is basically pasta with mussels and chopped up Ocean Stix. What of the prawns? Any sign of a bit of fish or squid? Unless you ramp up the seafood aspect of this dish, at £9 it's risking being known as a bit of a rip-off.



Having got that off my chest, I feel I should finish on a more positive note. I do like the fact that although the pub shows football in the front bar, it keeps the sound low so the place doesn't turn into a no-go zone for me. Whether this will change during the World Cup I don't know. Hopefully the back part of the bar will remain footy-free.

The staff are very friendly and helpful and the atmosphere in the bar is generally lively but not intrusive. It's still the best in the area for food, and hopefully the ale offerings will improve given time.

Deptford station: well blow me down!*

"Volker Fitzpatrick has been awarded a £7m contract for the construction of a new railway station at Deptford, south London. The station redevelopment includes part demolition of existing canopies, and new-build work, providing over-bridge glazing to both platforms. Client is the London Borough of Lewisham. Volker saw off four other bidders to win the contract."


*A much censored version of what originally went through my head when I read this.

Lewisham People's Day: the Beat

Forgive me if this is old news, but I was very excited to get the latest issue of Lewisham Life and discover that the Beat are headlining at Lewisham People's Day this year on 10 July.

I was a massive fan of the Beat when I was a teenager, as much if not more than the Specials and Madness. But I was too young to go and see them perform live and didn't have any older siblings who were into the same kind of music and willing to take me with them.

But last year I finally saw them play at the Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham and it was one of the most lively gigs I've seen for some time. On one of the hottest days of the summer, Rankin Roger tore up and down the stage like a man possessed, singing as if his life depended on it and getting the (mostly) older members of the audience bouncing about in front of the stage. The young crowd were rather bemused by the sight of us middle-aged and somewhat portly peeps getting all shouty and jumpy!

Rankin Roger, who is interviewed in Lewisham Life, still fronts the band but now with his son Murphy 'Ranking' Jnr instead of Dave Wakeling, who tours the USA with a group called the English Beat.

At Wychwood they did all the old faves - Mirror in the Bathroom, Stand Down Margaret, Can't Get Used to Losing You, Hands off She's Mine, Twist & Crawl etc etc - so if that performance was anything to go by, Lewisham is in for a treat.

Deptford Arms planning applications

The demise of the Deptford Arms and its imminent resurrection as a Paddy Power betting shop has been discussed widely on this blog, and Deptford blogosphere neighbours Crosswhatfields and Transpontine. As a pub it did not do much to cater for my custom, with its uncomfortable furniture and lack of ale (both could have easily been rectified by a landlord with some vision), but as a music and arts venue it was a valuable part of Deptford's cultural life and has been for many years. Despite this, the owner clearly preferred to lease the building to Paddy Power bookmakers rather than putting in any effort to improve the pub to attract more regular business throughout the week.

Unfortunately as they stand at the moment, licensing laws permit change of use from pubs to bookmakers without leaving any powers for local authorities to prevent clustering of such businesses in target areas. Local authorities which reject licence applications from bookmakers are then likely to have to defend themselves against legal action from the applicant. With budgets at risk this is understandably not a position councils want to put themselves in.

Paddy Power's first planning application (reference DC/10/73357/X) for amendments to the building was sensibly rejected by Lewisham's planners. Although it is not a listed building, it is in the Deptford High Street conservation area. "The proposed alterations would adversely affect the appearance and character of this prominent building and would be detrimental to the character and appearance of this part of the Deptford High Street Conservation Area, contrary to Policies URB 8 Shopfronts and URB 16 New Development, Changes of Use and Alterations to Buildings in Conservation Areas in the adopted Unitary Development Plan (July 2004)," the planners said.

Here's a couple of clips from the original drawings, showing the proposed elevation on Reginald Road and the proposed illuminated sign (all of these can be viewed in full on the planning department's website, see details below).





The main point to note is that the application proposes replacement of the existing timber windows with aluminimium-framed windows (in lurid, Paddy-Power-corporate-green). The extent and colouring of the proposed signage is also unnecessarily overbearing in my opinion, and will have a very negative visual impact on the building and its surrounds.

Not surprisingly, Paddy Power appealed against the decision, but the grounds given for the appeal were rather lame to say the least. Such grounds include the suggestion that the internally illuminated signs it proposes are 'characteristic of the Conservation Area in its wider sense'. Whatever that means.

Anyone can comment on the appeal, you can do so online at this link, by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page (to documents) and then clicking through from the new page to 'comment on this case' but you must do so by 8 June 2010.

In the meantime, however, it seems that Paddy Power is not entirely confident of winning its appeal, and after a site visit with the planning officers, earlier this month submitted new planning applications for the changes to the building and the signage (references DC/10/74269/FT and DC/10/74268/X). This time they also included a 'planning, design & access statement' to support the application, which makes for interesting reading.

The changes to the shopfront proposals are subtle but show some progress. Instead of replacing the window frames, they will retain and make good the existing frames. The signage will be lit by external lights rather than internally-illuminated. The proposed external roller shutter on Reginald Road has been changed to an internal roller shutter, and the gaudy yellow sign is now hanging from a 'shepherd's hook' fitting. Cute touch but in my opinion still totally overshadowed by the gaudiness of the yellow and green of the whole signage system. (don't be fooled by the duller-looking shades of colour on these pictures, by the way, the colour reference numbers are still exactly the same as on the previous pictures. I suspect the colour balance in the file was adjusted somehow).





The accompanying design statement defends this signage, claiming 'the signage..is wholly appropriate given the previous signage on the public house premises'. Is it? I can't say that I agree at all.

'This corporate approach has been accepted by local councils across the country,' the statement goes on, 'including in Conservation Areas.' Which some might translate as 'we've got plenty of stuff to throw at you in court if you refuse' although of course I couldn't possibly comment.

The main defence of the designs is that it's better to have a betting shop here than vacant premises. The fact that the premises were not empty when the statement was submitted seems to have been overlooked.

Somewhat laughably the statement also defends the proposed development with the following comment: 'a bookmaker's use is a complimentary use to the retail function and adds VARIETY and vitality to the shopping area'.

How the applicant can include this statement with any serious intent, given that the new betting shop will be the seventh on the high street, is beyond me.

All the documents relating to these applications are available on Lewisham's planning portal, just by searching here using the application number.

Although it is too late to save the pub, protecting the look and quality of buildings within the high street conservation area is a central part of maintaining what makes Deptford unique and attractive to so many. The high street already has too many regrettable redevelopments that make me shake my head and think 'who let that through?'. If you care about retaining what's there, please take a minute to click through to these links and consider commenting on the proposals.

Submissions for Deptford X are now being invited

A range of opportunities for artists living or working in Greater London are being offered as part of the Deptford X festival which will be held between 24 September and 3 October 2010.

Artists can apply for the Renewal Award (five grants for site-specific works, two of which will be awarded to Deptford-based artists), the Photography Project, three artists' residencies, and the Deptford Fringe (restricted to artists in SE8).

Full details and briefs for Deptford X submissions are available here.

This year's Deptford X project is being led by artist Mark Titchner.

Free tickets to ride

If you fancy a trip to the East End or down to Croydon this weekend, why not try out the new East London Line for free? Hop along to New Cross/New Cross Gate, Surrey Quays or Rotherhithe and you could pick up one of the 10,000 free tickets being given out on Sunday when the line opens for full service. Here's the relevant extract from the press release (with Boris's self-congratulatory comments deleted I'm afraid).

"Ten thousand free tickets will be given out to passengers to travel on London Overground’s new East London railway on its first day of operating a full public service this Sunday (May 23).

Free tickets will be issued at stations along the line on a first come first served basis. Each station will be given a finite number of the tickets based on the number of people who use it. Each station will be limited to one ticket per person; they will be non-transferable, valid for Sunday 23 May only and limited to the East London route on the London Overground network. Passengers interchanging from other networks need to complete their first journey by touching out with their Oystercard."

More info about the line here.

Tidemill school progress

Taking some photographs of the progress at Tidemill School and the newly-erected hoardings and traffic lights sent me back to the architect's rendering to check that the big overhang was actually meant to be there.


Seems like it is, and the hoardings are just protecting site staff who need to gain access to all sides of the building as construction progresses. Annoyingly it means that the traffic lights are going to be there until at least January 2011. Apologies for the two views being from opposite ends of the street, by the way; the sun was in the wrong place this morning to match the view up with the rendering!

Construction work next to the railway line is progressing so rapidly that it's now impossible to see on site from the station platform.

Urban screen 19th May: SUS

Urban Screen at the Albany Theatre in Deptford is showing the newly-released film SUS in a special screening next Wednesday.

"1979 Election Night, as Thatcher comes into power. SUS takes place on that very night, when Delroy (Clint Dyer: Unknown White Male, Sahara) is being interrogated about his pregnant wife who has been found dead in a pool of blood. With all the evidence stacking up against him, Delroy continually refuses to confess. He suffers a night of callous humiliation at the hands of two racist coppers (Ralph Brown: The Crying Game, Withnail & I, Rafe Spall, The Calcium Kid, Hot Fuzz), both high on the impending Conservative landslide victory, and more concerned with the outcome of the election than establishing the truth.

Written in 1979 by Barrie Keefe (The Long Good Friday) and based on a true story, SUS is a powerful cry against institutional racism, which is as relevant today as ever. Instead of SUS ("suspect under suspicion"), there is "stop and search" under Section 44 of the Terrorist Act of 2000."

Urban Screen will be showing the film in a special screening on 19th May @ 7pm at the Albany in Deptford. The event includes a panel discussion with main actor Clint Dyer, Barrie Keeffe (tbc), Duwayne Brooks and Benjamin Zephaniyah.

Eat Meet supperclub

'Deptford borders' (New Cross/Brockley if you're being precise) is getting its own supperclub as from next month, when Julie & Sophie will be hosting the first 'Eat Meet Supperclub' at Julie's house.

If you're not familiar with this phenomena, where have you been? Basically it involves members of the public opening up their homes to cook meals for total strangers; usually at a very reasonable price compared to eating out at a restaurant. Blackheath's Savoy Truffle Supperclub even made it into the top ten supperclubs as voted by the Times last year. While the idea of being a host leaves me cold, the prospect of someone else cooking me dinner while I get to have a nosy in their house a la Come Dine With Me, is rather more attractive.

Anyway, here's what Julie says about Eat Meet Supperclub:

"It happens monthly in my home in Brockley / New Cross / Telegraph Hill. It'll be for 'everyone' one month, and for singles the next. Each event will be food-themed and the £25 donation includes three, four or five courses (depending on the cuisine), a cocktail on arrival and you can bring your own booze (no corkage). If the weather's good, it'll in in our sunny garden.
It'll be on Saturday nights, and we've just released the first two dates, so to book, please email Sophie at eatmeetsupperclub@googlemail.com"

Forthcoming dates are:
Saturday 26th June – everyone welcome (foodie theme 'summery euro mash-up')
Saturday 17th July – straight singles (foodie theme 'Abigail's party retro classics')

Like any self-respecting venture these days they have a blog and a facebook group

If you go along, do feel free to report back!